


What's the point of waiting when it feels so great?

by ColorMeParanoid



Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Boys In Love, Communication, Domestic Boyfriends, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Moving In Together, Post Episode: s02e01
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-18 06:46:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29113986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ColorMeParanoid/pseuds/ColorMeParanoid
Summary: Carlos cleared his throat, tugging nervously at the hem of his shirt. “By move out, I meant more like move in here, with me.”TK blinked at him, taken aback. “Are you serious?”(Or, the one where Carlos asks TK to move in with him)
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Comments: 14
Kudos: 251





	What's the point of waiting when it feels so great?

TK slumped onto Carlos’ familiar couch with a sigh, leaning his head back on the headrest to stare morosely at the ceiling. He’d let himself inside with the key Carlos had given him a month ago when it became very clear just how much time he was spending in his apartment instead of his own home.

He can hear Carlos moving around his kitchen, and soon enough, his view of the ceiling is obscured by the worried face of his boyfriend.

“Hey,” Carlos murmured, leaning in to kiss his forehead. “Tough day?”

TK closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. “Not really?” He blinked his eyes open when Carlos stepped around the couch and took a seat on the coffee table across from him. “My dad finally grew a pair and asked my mom to stay, and she agreed. They’re going to give their relationship another try.”

Carlos frowned at that, clearly confused. “Isn’t that… good? I though you loved having your mom around.”

“I do,” TK said, sighing again. “And they seem happy but while I love them both, living with them has been torture.”

The constant arguments weren’t fun when he was a kid, and it was even worse now that he knew exactly what happened behind the closed door of their bedroom which inevitably followed any of their showdowns. Like he told his parents, the walls of that house were not thick – he’d been using his trusty headphones a _lot_ since she came to stay with them.

And why did they always have to drag him in the middle of it? He could never chose a side without making the whole situation that much worse and frankly, he was sick of playing mediator. And while he was thrilled when his mom came and stayed with them, he was also so relieved when she told him she’d bought a ticket back to New York, even if the thought alone made him feel incredibly guilty. Maybe he could finally stop walking on eggshells around the house while they were all home together. 

But, apparently not. Ugh.

Carlos gave him a sympathetic look. He’d witnessed more than one argument already, because his parents didn’t seem to care about having an audience and he’d made sure that TK always knew he was welcome to come stay at his place when things got too hard to handle at home and he needed some space.

It’s safe to say that TK had been over at his apartment a lot. And not just because of his parents.

There was just something about Carlos’ apartment that felt… safe. It felt like home. Which was crazy, because they’d only known each other for barely a year, and been together as a proper couple for even less. And yet, TK couldn’t help but imagine himself lying in Carlos’ bed after a long shift with his boyfriend a comforting warmth besides him instead of lying in his cold, empty bed alone.

More often than not with his parents getting it on right in the room next to his.

“You know,” Carlos said, clearly hesitant. “You could always just… move out?”

TK considered that for a moment. The thought did pop into his head more than once already, but there were always reasons to stop and reconsider. First it was his dad being sick and him wanting to be there for him, then his mom was there and they were back to being a family and now? Well, now he just didn’t really want to be alone.

Sure, TK was as introverted as they come and he absolutely needed his space but he also didn’t like being alone for too long periods of time. Especially not now when the world was such a mess and being alone in the house seemed more unsettling rather than peaceful.

“I don’t know,” he finally said. “Where would I even move? I finally live close to my place of work and don’t need to go through a horrible daily commute.”

Not to mention that he’d probably have to move away further from Carlos, as he still didn’t understand how he could afford such a nice place on his cop salary. Wealthy parents perhaps? Inheritance from a relative?

Either way, now TK lived basically a walking distance from Carlos’ place and he wasn’t willing to lose out on that time with him just to escape his parents insufferable flirting practices.

Carlos cleared his throat, tugging nervously at the hem of his shirt. “By move out, I meant more like move in here, with _me_.”

TK blinked at him, taken aback. “Are you serious?”

It was too soon, was his immediate thought. Sure, they’ve already exchanged I love you’s and they were both certain that this relationship was going to be something long term for the both of them. Hell, TK didn’t feel ready to move in with Alex and he tried proposing to him.

Though, now that he thought about it more, that probably said a lot more about his relationship with Alex rather than the one with Carlos. It was like TK saw all the red flags with Alex and just willfully ignored them and convinced himself that it was fine, when he was only settling for him knowing that with his history of addiction, it would be hard to find someone who would ever want him.

Pretty selfish of him, he knew. And unfair to Alex, though he often acted like he was doing TK a favor just for giving him a chance. He could have easily broken up with TK before he fucked someone else, but that was a whole other can of issues he’d rather not get into right now.

“I am,” Carlos said, reaching out for his hand. “I know it’s probably too soon, but I also know that you’ve been here so often these last few months that it feels like you already live here. And that’s not a bad thing,” he was quick to reassure TK when he saw his face fall. “I love having you here. Which is why I wouldn’t mind having you here all the time. Actually, I’d prefer it.”

TK bit at his lip. “Carlos…” he trailed off, unsure what to say. Carlos squeezed his hand.

“It’s okay if you’re not ready. We’re taking this at your pace, remember? I won’t be mad if you say no.” He shrugged. “I just figured I’d put the offer out there anyway. Nothing about our relationship is conventional. There is no set timeline to follow. It just comes down to what we both feel ready for.”

TK nodded, considering the offer seriously. It _would_ be nice to spend more time with Carlos. Due to their crazy shifts, they barely spent enough time together as it was. Instead of feeling smothered by the attention, he always found himself craving more of it. And Carlos was always so understanding, TK was sure he wouldn’t be offended if TK wanted some alone time to decompress if he asked for it. But he couldn’t help but think of all the potential negatives either. What if they tried this and it didn’t work out? What if it completely killed their relationship? It sounded too risky for comfort when they were in such a good place right now.

“I don’t know,” TK finally said. “What we have right now is so good and I don’t want things to change. And what if we end up arguing or I piss you off and you end up kicking me out?”

He knew it was ridiculous as soon as he said it, but he was an expert when it came to overthinking. Carlos would never kick him out, even if it came down to a breakup because he was too nice for his own good. He’d keep TK as a roommate until he found another place to go, even if it hurt him.

“First of all, that’s not going to happen,” Carlos said with a fond roll of his eyes. “And second of all, I doubt your dad will just rent out your room for anyone else after you leave. You’ll always have a space there waiting if you need it.”

Carlos had him there.

“Look,” Carlos said, letting out a deep breath. “If you want to, we could do a trial run.”

“A trial run?”

Carlos nodded. “Yeah, a trial run. We don’t have to make anything official. You could just grab what you need and come stay with me full time for a month. And then we’d take it from there. If it doesn’t work out, we go back to what we’re doing now until we’re ready for that step. And if it works, we’ll take it from there.”

TK weighed the options in his mind. “Okay,” he decided, grinning. “That actually sounds like a great idea?”

“You don’t have to sound so surprised.” Carlos chuckled. “I’ve been known to have those every once in a while.”

“I won’t argue with you about that.” He pulled at Carlos until he stood up and came over to straddle his lap. “Are you really sure about this? Because I still don’t know how to cook and I have it on very good authority that I’m a horrible blanket hog.”

Carlos leaned down for a kiss. “Yes, but you’re an expert at ordering takeout and I run pretty hot, anyway.”

TK slipped his hands under Carlos’ shirt and hummed in agreement. “That you are.”

“So,” Carlos prompted after another kiss. “Are we really doing this? You want to move in with me?”

“Yes, I really do.” He reached up with his hand to cup Carlos’ face, his boyfriend leaning into the touch immediately. “I love you, Carlos.”

He could feel the way Carlos’ breath hitched at the confession, even though it was far from the first time TK has said those words to him. “I love you, too.”

Later, TK will have to figure out a way to break the news to his dad who was so happy to have the family back again under one roof again, because he was sure his dad will treat his temporary leave as if he were moving to another continent, and not an apartment just a few blocks away. He’ll have to grab some boxes and pack his stuff and get used to sharing his space with another person in such an intimate way for the very first time.

But for now, he just pulled Carlos into another kiss and basked in the knowledge that he finally found the kind of love he always craved; the kind of love he was so scared he’d never find.

He finally found a place where he belonged. And that place was right by Carlos’ side.


End file.
